Chelsea sanction loan move for 'next Cole Palmer' as Enzo Maresca plays the long game

Chelsea have high hopes for striker Marc Guiu after sanctioning a loan deal for the forward ahead of the new Premier League season.

The 19-year-old joined Chelsea from Barcelona last summer but struggled for regular game time underEnzo Maresca last season. Throughout the campaign, he played just 14 times with seven of those appearances coming in the UEFA Conference League, where he got six goals.

In search for more game time to aid his development and adaptation to English football, Guiu is set to join newly-promoted Premier League side Sunderland on a season-long loan. The deal will not include an option to make the move permanent with the striker returning to Stamford Bridge next summer.

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Ipswich Town also showed an interest in the striker, but it seems a move to the Stadium of Light is close. The club believes that sending the player out on loan will be a big benefit for the future.

The Times report that Chelsea are not prepared to make the deal permanent with it added that some inside the club believe the player to have the same potential as Cole Palmer.

The midfielder has been a standout player in the Premier League since making the move from Manchester City to Stamford Bridge in the summer of 2023. In his 97 appearances in a Chelsea shirt, he has scored 43 times and provided 29 assists.

Speaking about Guiu back in January, Maresca detailed how the youngster was improving every day. "Marc is improving a lot, to be honest. He's doing fantastic. Day by day, he is becoming more ready for that sort of game,” he said.

At the same stage of his career that Guiu is at now, Palmer had slightly less first team experience under his belt. If the striker can make similar progress to his Chelsea teammate then it is good news all around.